Recently it was the National Shooting Sports Foundation that took center stage in the battle for the Second Amendment. As lawmakers considered the restrictive measures on the table, NSSF President and CEO Joe Bartozzi laid out in plain English the fallacy of the governor’s proposals.
His testimony broke down piece by piece how the legislation would only restrict law-abiding Connecticut citizens and infringe on their rights.
Bartozzi was accompanied by NSSF’s Jake McGuigan, Managing Director of Government Relations – State Affairs. It was McGuigan who explained the unfeasible proposal for microstamping all handguns sold in the state.
The pair addressed the Connecticut Joint Judiciary Committee, which held a hearing to obtain public feedback on the package. Supporters of Second Amendment rights came out in force, and more than 160 individuals gave personal testimony.
Jeremy Stein of CT Against Gun Violence told the gathering that “we still have people dying almost every other day in Connecticut.” Frank Horvath of Harwinton countered by noting that “these laws are not going to stop bad people from shooting other people.”
Over 5,000 written comments were received by the committee on the contentious topic.
Lamont’s wish list for gun control in Connecticut is sweeping and expansive. The proposals include a 10-day waiting period for firearms purchases, limiting the number of weapons that may be bought, and instituting draconian bureaucratic requirements on retailers who serve the public.
The unnecessary burden placed on gun dealers is so oppressive that many may be forced out of business.
As Bertozzi patiently explained to the committee, “this is extremely expansive legislation that does little or nothing to deter criminals and will only impact law-abiding gun owners.”
He noted the provision for only allowing one gun purchase per month blocks perfectly legal commerce in the state. It will undoubtedly affect smaller businesses the most and put an unnecessary strain on their bottom lines.
Furthermore, Bertozzi correctly stated that “it further rations a federal and state constitutional right, reducing it to a mere privilege.”
Adding a 10-day waiting period will not deter violent criminals. Instead, it “only adds another layer to exercising a constitutional right that puts a burden on law-abiding citizens and [federal firearm licensees].”
As for retailers, he correctly explained that they are the “first line of defense against illegal straw purchases.” The legislation appears to go out of its way to add layer upon layer of stress onto those businesses that are critical for citizens exercising their Second Amendment freedoms.
It must be noted that Connecticut gun laws already stipulate a gun purchaser endure a lengthy permit process. The buyer must go through local police departments for submitting fingerprints and undergo an extensive background check.
The criminal element, of course, merely bypasses these steps.
Of all the governor’s proposals, one that received much attention was the microstamping requirement. This poorly-thought-out and unworkable stipulation would require using a laser to imprint a unique code on every handgun’s firing pin.
The goal is to transfer that mark onto spent cartridges, creating a trail back to the gun from which it was fired.
Tellingly, the patent holder for the technology necessary to implement such a system testified before Connecticut lawmakers that the process is unproven and doesn’t yet work.
And, as McGuigan observed, “90% of the guns used in crimes are illegally obtained or stolen.”
Connecticut is redefining “reaching for straws.” In their hard-charging effort to eradicate the Second Amendment, the governor and his allies are throwing everything against the wall waiting for something to stick. This is hardly how constitutional freedoms are to be respected, and its effects will only be felt by those who obey the law.
